Former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz has removed himself from consideration for the next US attorney general, saying his confirmation fight had become a “distraction” to President-elect Donald Trump.

Trump had announced Gaetz as his choice last week, calling him the best candidate to “restore Americans’ badly-shattered faith and confidence” in the Department of Justice, accused of political persecutions of Republicans. 

“While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition. There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration,” Gaetz posted on X on Thursday. “I remain fully committed to see that Donald J. Trump is the most successful president in history.”

Under US law, a president’s cabinet picks need to be approved by the Senate. Gaetz faced the opposition of all the Democrats but also a few Republicans who have signaled they would oppose Trump’s agenda come January.

Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and John Curtis of Utah – Mitt Romney’s replacement – were reportedly against approving Gaetz, drawing the ire of many Republicans who pointed out that most of them voted for current AG Merrick Garland, thereby enabling his alleged abuses of office.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he greatly appreciated Gaetz’s efforts to get confirmed. 

“Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!” the president-elect said.

Gaetz “made his decision to withdraw entirely out of respect for President Trump’s administration,” said Vice President-elect JD Vance. “Matt is a patriot and I look forward to seeing what he does next.”

Democrats, rebel Republicans and many media outlets joined forces against Gaetz, denouncing him for alleged sexual dalliances with underage women. The Florida congressman had conclusively debunked the allegations, and the DOJ dropped the investigation last year without ever pressing charges. The House Ethics Committee kept them alive, however, reportedly thanks to California Congressman Kevin McCarthy, whose ouster from the speaker’s chair last year was spear-headed by Gaetz.

“Years-old allegations of a sexual / salacious nature from sources DOJ previously deemed not credible assembled by people with a political motive. The Steele Dossier really was shameful,” Gaetz had posted just two hours prior to his surprise withdrawal.

The ‘Steele Dossier’ was the fabricated set of claims about Trump the Democrats commissioned from a British spy in 2016. The dossier was the key piece of their ‘Russiagate’ conspiracy theory used to undermine Trump’s first presidential term, and was even cited by the FBI to spy on the Republican’s campaign and administration.